Humidification systems are used in buildings and mobile platforms such as aircraft, and other moving platforms, to humidify the air within a confined area in which occupants or passengers are residing. The humidification of the air can significantly add to the comfort of occupants or passengers.
One drawback with presently utilized humidification systems is that most suffer from relatively high maintenance, in addition to accumulations of mineral deposits from the water, the growth/transmittal of micro-organisms from the water used, relatively high noise, or a combination of these problems. In relatively small, predefined areas, such as within a passenger cabin area of an aircraft, where the aircraft is pressurized and the only airflow through the cabin is the humidified air flow, the need to remove micro-organisms and present a substantially bacteria-free airflow is particularly important. In aircraft applications, the added maintenance required because of the accumulation of mineral deposits in various components of the system is further highly undesirable because such maintenance action adds additional cost to an airline operating the aircraft.
In view of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable to provide a humidification system that is especially well suited for use on mobile platforms such as aircraft, busses, trains, ships, etc. that does not suffer from the traditional high maintenance associated with previously developed humidification systems. It would also be highly desirable to provide a humidification system which is capable of destroying micro-organisms from water being used in the system to thus provide a bacteria-free, humidified airflow to passengers, occupants and/or crew members on a mobile platform. It would further be highly desirable to provide such a humidification system which does not add significant additional cost, does not require significant additional maintenance and does not take up appreciable space on board the mobile platform.